Saturday, 9 April 2016

New York Skyline

Everybody knows New
York has one of the most beautiful skylines in the world. Walking around the
bustling streets of New York you might get a crick in your neck as you
constantly look up at all of the skyscrapers. And while it is a lovely view
from the ground, the best way to see New York is from the sky. Two of the most
famous place to see the skyline of New York is from the Empire State Building
and the Top of the Rock, which is the top of the Rockefeller Centre (not a
giant rock in Central Park as I thought before I went – yes, I really did think
that!). I have heard mixed reviews about which offers the best view so
naturally I had to try both to form my own opinion. Well, when in Rome (or New
York in this case).

Empire State Building

I went at one of the
busiest times, Saturday evening on Easter weekend, so the queue was two hours long! I swore I would never go
again, until I got to the top and saw the view that is. I wanted to see the
sunset but as I underestimated that queue length I only managed to see the
views in the dark. But that didn’t make the view any less beautiful! All of
those lights sparkling way down below, with Times Square lit up like a beacon,
it was a breath-taking view – and not just because the air was so chilly. You
really begin to appreciate how tall the Empire State Building is when you look all
the way down. We paid to go all the way to the top which was around $20 extra,
however I don’t think you need to, you get just as good views from the 86th
floor. You can instead use that money to buy yourself the VIP to the main deck,
that way you can skip all of the main queues.

Top of the Rock

I arrived at the
Rockefeller about 10am, purchased my ticket there and was up at the top by
about 11am. A lot quicker than the ESB.
When I got to the Top of the Rock the sun was beating down and as we went early
in the morning but the place was quite empty. It was honestly the most relaxing
time I had while in New York, and the views were spectacular. Obviously a good
advantage of going here is that you can see the Empire State Building in the
skyline, and it’s beautiful to see. As it was so empty we got to capture many
scenic pictures, goofy cliché touristy pictures and just sit back on the bench,
catching the rays and soaking in the view. One really cool thing that I did not
expect up there was the interactive light room. This had panels that lit up
with movement which meant that I danced like a crazy person to activate it.

Both really did offer
great views, I’m not sure if I can decide which one was the best as I went up
at different times of the day but if I had to make a decision on which I
enjoyed the most overall I would have to say the Top of the Rock. If you go to New York I would recommend you visit both.